Legendary music composer Jim Johnston is opening up about his 32 years working for WWE, his relationship with former boss Vince McMahon, how his time with the company ended and his opinion on the state of today’s entrance themes.

Johnston is responsible for countless iconic theme songs, including Bret Hart, The Undertaker, DX, Triple H, Stone Cold Steve Austin and dozens more others. He tells Hannibal TV that he approached each song by studying the wrestler he’d be composing for, including each performer’s unique persona.

Interestingly, he doesn’t consider himself a big wrestling fan, but drew inspiration from a wrestler’s demeanor to organically craft music that fit their characters.

Reflecting on the current state of WWE music, Johnston criticizes the modern approach as “generic” and uninspired, lacking the personalized character branding he strived for. He believes this shift has resulted in music that doesn’t engage audiences emotionally or enhance wrestlers’ personas as effectively as in the past.

Johnson worked with McMahon on a handshake agreement for 15 of their 32 years working together. He considers their working relationship friendly, but says McMahon was a “guarded” and complex figure. He was released in 2017, and recalls things getting “really political in a bad way” during his final years with the company. When Vince informed him he wouldn’t be renewing his contract, Johnson was ready to move on.

“By the time it actually happened, I knew it was coming, and I was looking forward to moving on. I’d actually been looking forward to moving on for a long time,” Johnston said. “In hindsight, I wish I had had the foresight or really the courage to just leave. But the force of habit just keeps you rolling.”

At the end of the day, Johnston is proud of his legacy. He knows wrestling fans want to see him in the WWE Hall of Fame, but he’s not losing sleep over his omission. He has mixed feelings about the Hall of Fame, but is very comfortable outside of the WWE sphere.

Jim Johnston is not impressed by today’s pro wrestling entrance themes. The legendary composer says many themes are “mediocre” and that is a big reason why there are fewer mega stars in this era.

Johnston was Chris Van Vliet’s guest this week on the Insights podcast. He spoke about his childhood, his love for music, the chance encounter that led him to WWE and much more during their discussion.

He began working with WWE in the mid-1980’s. He wasn’t a wrestling fan, but that didn’t hold him back. Johnston worked with the company until 2017 and is responsible for the most iconic themes in wrestling history, including Steve Austin, The Undertaker, The Rock, the Ultimate Warrior, DX and countless others. Amazingly, he worked on a ‘handshake deal’ and never even had a contract with WWE until after the company went public in 2001.

Johnston took his job very seriously. He felt a great responsibility to the wrestlers, because that has a big impact on a character’s presentation. He feels the lack of quality entrance music is a big reason why there are less big stars today.

Today’s Wrestling Entrance Music

“The music now, in WWE and in AEW, I think it’s.. sorry this is mean, it’s all homogenous and it’s mediocre and doesn’t have anything to do with the characters, and I think that’s why there are less big stars.”

“I don’t think there are no potential stars hiding there. I mean, before he was Steve Austin, he was the Ringmaster, and there are many examples there. These people need the right storyline, the right costuming and definitely the right music to lift them up.”

“Particularly the music, is serving multiple masters, in a way. It’s entertainment for the audience, it’s a big boot in the ass for the wrestler before they go out, to sort of get them in the head space of their character, and to kind of get them jacked up to do a great performance.”

“If you’re in that situation, I can’t imagine being in that situation where you’re not really sure of your character, the storyline. ‘I’m supposed to hate this guy, I don’t know why I’m supposed to hate this guy.’ And your music is just kind of generic, wrestler-guy music, and you’re supposed to go out there and be on top of the world. I think that’s a big ask.”

“Did not have a contract with WWE until the company went public. As soon as WWE went public, the lawyers got involved. Couldn’t believe he was working without a contract. Didn’t want him picking up and leaving.”

Setting the Mood

Johnston says he always saw WWE as a live movie, and he was scoring the characters in the movie. He gives Jaws and Darth Vader as examples of how music can instantly set the tone for the show.

He spoke about Steve Austin. You don’t need to know the storylines, you don’t need to know what he did last week. When you hear that music, you have a pretty good idea of what to expect. That enhances the product and makes everybody’s jobs easier.

It’s like being in a movie, and the movie is not very good and you’re not following the movie. You’re lost without the music that sets the mood.

Final Years in WWE, AEW

After 30+ years with WWE, he never expected to get fired. However, Johnston did say there was someone in WWE that was always trying to push him out and get his own people in the door.

Johnston said AEW never reached out to him, which amazed him. AEW brought in so many people who used to work for WWE. He thinks Tony Khan could have really stuck it to Vince McMahon by hiring him and doesn’t know why that didn’t happen. “It doesn’t make sense to me.”

Listen to Jim Johnston’s appearance on the Insights podcast with Chris Van Vliet:

Please credit SEScoops with a link to this article if you use any of the transcribed quotes.

Jim Johnston has composed some of the most memorable theme songs in pro wrestling. He provided the entrance music for stars such as ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin, The Rock, DX, The Undertaker and The Ultimate Warrior, to name just a few. Johnston worked for WWE creating themes for 32 years before being released from his contract in 2017.

In an official statement, Ring of Honor (ROH) announced that Johnston has created a new theme for Villain Enterprises member, PCO. The theme will be debuted during tonight’s ROH pay-per-view, Death Before Dishonor.

“It’s been great fun to work on a new theme for PCO and Ring of Honor,” Johnston told ROHWrestling.com. “The energy there has been all positive, and it’s been my honor to hopefully make a small contribution to their continued success.”

PCO has said he is thrilled with the final result and can’t wait for fans to hear it during ROH’s Las Vegas show.

“It really brings the essence of PCO and adds another dimension to the immortality,” PCO said. “It reinforces that PCO is not human. Adding this piece of the puzzle on top of everything else, the success of The French-Canadian Frankenstein becomes limitless.”

PCO battles Kenny King tonight at ROH’s Death Before Dishonor event. Their match is a first-round clash in the Final Battle Number One Contender Tournament. The show takes place from Sam’s Town Hotel and Gambling Hall in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Former WWE theme song composer Jim Johnston recently appeared on the Total Engagement podcast on MLW Radio. In Part 2 of his conversation with host Matt Koon, Johnston spoke about his WWE departure, his final meeting with Vince McMahon and the possibility of creating entrance themes for All Elite Wrestling (AEW).

Here are some highlights. Audio embed of the interview is available at the bottom of the article.

His Departure from WWE:

Jim Johnston was released by WWE in late 2017. After working with the company since the 1980’s, WWE did not utilize his services much towards the end of his run. He admits he was very unhappy that he wasn’t getting a chance to create great music towards the end, even though he was still getting a steady pay check.

“I don’t want a job where I don’t have to work,” he said. “There wasn’t ever a millisecond where I thought, ‘Wow, isn’t this great? I’m really not doing that much music, but they’re continuing to pay me! Oh my God, what a great deal!’ It was awful. I hate that. I hated that feeling. I’ve got handcuffs on, I can’t contribute and I eventually told Vince that as well. I said, ‘this is not right.’ I also told him at the time is like, ‘hey, if you’re unhappy with me, fire me. Fire me right now. You can fire me right now. I’m taking the pressure off. Go ahead. Fire me.’ Because that’s not the way I roll. I don’t like that.”

Johnston says he went through a range of emotions just before his release. “All the usual suspects: sadness, fear, hey, I felt all of them and bitterness, certainly anger because there was just a lot of lies and lying’s not a good thing.”

Composing Music For Faces Compared To Heels

Johnston gave some unique insight regarding his process as it relates to creating music for heroes and villains.

“I think music for bad guys always comes down to, ‘Do you believe how great I am? Can you believe it?’ And Mr. Perfect was a really strong character and he played it really well. He was charismatically bad and he really exuded that when he came out you know with the hands up in the air and that was his vibe: ‘You know, c’mon now…it’s a little hard to believe, how great I am, isn’t it? I mean, it’s hard for me to believe, for God’s sake!’ It’s like a monumental conchairto to himself whereas music for good guys is more a celebration for everyone. It’s more coming out and going out to the crowd. It’s almost like this is what the crowd feels about you and how much we love you and how much we’re supporting you and bad guys I think it comes more from it’s all about them. So it’s how they see themselves.”

He elaborated by saying it was an “utterly subconscious” feeling that allowed him to take the personality and ‘spirit’ of a performer and translate that into music that reflects them.

“It’s magical,” he said. “I don’t understand it. I attribute it a lot to sort of a spiritual thing which maybe works for me, but maybe anyone who’s lucky enough to have any sort of a gift like this maybe to keep your sanity you need some way to explain it to yourself or something it’s like ‘how does that work?’

Johnston continued, “I cannot pick up a guitar or sit down at the piano without having a new idea. I just can’t. It’s not possible, it’s never happened. It’s never, ever happened. It’s purely a visceral thing for me. I just get a feel for a character and I just think about it or I get an idea about it, you know, a lyric hook idea in the shower and then I’ll know that that’s it.”

Working For All Elite Wrestling (AEW)

Jim Johnston does not follow pro wrestling closely anymore, but even he is picking up the buzz from All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He made his first non-WWE wresting appearance last year at Starrcast during All In weekend. He believes WWE is currently vulnerable and has fallen into a place of weakness. He seems to think AEW has a shot at competing with WWE.

When asked directly if he’d interested in speaking with Tony Khan and Cody Rhodes about writing music for AEW, he replied, “Sure, absolutely. Give me a call.”

Jim Johnston will be appearing at Starrcast II during Double or Nothing Weekend in Las Vegas in May. Visit Starrcast.com for details.

(H/T to WrestleZone for the transcribed quotes)

Longtime WWE music composer Jim Johnston’s time with the company has come to an end as of last week. WWE has yet to officially announce the release, but a report from Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio notes that many people within the company saw it coming and aren’t surprised by it. Johnston reportedly wanted to stay with WWE, however, his contract was much too high to retain.

Since 2012 WWE has been relying more on CFO$ to produce the majority of their star’s themes, thus Johnston’s value to the company depleted. People were expecting Johnston’s time with the company to end once his contract expired. Meltzer noted “it’s the end of an era, but the era kinda ended years ago.”

Johnston had been with WWE for 32 years and has produced themes for legendary stars such as The Undertaker, D-Generation X, The Rock and so many more.

– After over 30 years with the WWE, longtime musical composer Jim Johnston has been released by the company. Per a report from F4WOnline’s Daily Update, Johnston was released after his contract with WWE expired. He had been with the promotion since 1985 and has created the themes for Superstars such as The Undertaker, Mr. McMahon, The Rock, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, and hundreds more.  WWE has yet to officially announce the news.

– Charlotte Flair will be appearing as one of the main villains in Psych: The Movie. Flair will be playing Heather Rockrear in the film, which airs on the USA Network on December 7th at 8 P.M. ET. WWE posted the following video:

The following are highlights of a new Miami Herald interview with Chris Jericho:

Entertaining the masses with his talents: “I think after a while people don’t really give a %$#@ what it is [else] that you’re doing. When I’m wrestling, I’m in wrestling mode. When I’m on stage with Fozzy, I’m in Fozzy mode. They’re two separate things, and it’s cool that I do both. I think a lot of people think it’s cool and can understand that I’m good at both. I don’t listen to negative people or care about negative people or worry about negative people. I just worry about doing the best I can do with whatever projects I decide to do.”

Similarities between music and wrestling: “There’s a lot of similarities between the two. They’re both very high energy, aggressive forms of entertainment, very dependent on the reactions you get from the crowd. If the crowd is excited, it makes for a better show — both in wrestling and with Fozzy. So you get a lot of crossover because there is that certain vibe in both. Certainly WWE superstars are like rock stars — larger than life, over the top personalities — and that’s what you’re always looking for in rock-n-roll. Sometimes you get it, and sometimes you don’t, and sometimes you get that in wrestling, and sometimes you don’t. Especially when you go to a WWE show with all the fire [and loud noise] and pyrotechnic, a lot of times it’s more than a rock show, than a rock show you might see. There is a common ground between the two.”

WWE’s Jim Johnston, who composes theme songs: “[Jim Johnston] does a great job at what he does. He really finds the inner core, the inner seed of what the person’s personality is, of what the character’s personality is, and really latches on to that. It always amazes me to see what he comes up with for guys who have been around for years, for guys who are just starting..He’s definitely an invaluable member of the WWE’s team for sure.”

Check out the complete interview at MiamiHerald.com.

– WWE Superstar Sheamus turns 36 years old today.

– WWE Composer Jim Johnston is Steve Austin’s guest on this week’s Steve Austin Show podcast. Listen now at PodcastOne.com.

WWE composer Jim Johnston joins Steve to talk about some of their favorite entrance themes. Hear what inspired the themes for Stone Cold, The Undertaker, Bret Hart, D-Generation X, and Shawn Michaels.

– Pro Wrestling NOAH star KENTA was at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando on Monday, according to PWInsider.com. William Regal reportedly set up the tryout and he’s expected to continue training in the ring there this week.

Check out this video highlighting KENTA’s epic feud with Daniel Bryan (formerly Bryan Danielson) in Pro Wrestling NOAH:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=CfcgZ2EJSvs

– WWE Hall Of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin will be airing part one of his two-part interview with WWE music composer Jim Johnston on his “Steve Austin Show” podcast next week. Austin is also scheduled to interview comedian Gabriel Iglesias next week.

– TNA founder Jeff Jarrett recently posted the following tweet about “The Icon” Sting:

Stinger… Timeline filled up… A true class act and an one-of-a-kind MAN… Many, many thanks to you… @Sting #Icon #grateful #class

— Jeff Jarrett (@RealJeffJarrett) January 24, 2014

Next year, WWE will be releasing a “Music of WWE” DVD featuring music legendary WWE composer Jim Johnston.

Here is the official synopsis for the Music of WWE, courtesy of WrestlingDVDNews.com:

“Music has been integral in WWE history, especially anthems for all the greatest WWE Superstars. Since Sgt. Slaughter first made his entrance to the Marine Corp hymn in the early 80?s music themes have become synonymous with the Superstars themselves. Just hearing the first few notes brings the crowd to their feet. They are the songs that let the WWE Universe know that business is about to pick up. Now, get behind the music and learn the inside story behind the timeless anthems of WWE and the superstars.”

The current plan is to feature 25 different theme songs, with a behind-the-scenes look at how the music is made and how it connects with each Superstar’s character.